Mass Effect: Red Shift
by Lord Michael Blackburn
Summary: In 2154, the great commander shepard came to be; born an orphan on the street, he knew only his name and the need to survive. He was, however, not the only shepard that lived….there were 2 of them. One a boy, the other a girl..the only family they had, all they knew was day-to-day living…but would these 2 ever amount to anything? (AU)


A/N: I have returned….after a journey that has taken me far and wide I feel refreshed and ready to write again. But one does not simply WRITE a story….i changed the whole way I try out stories, and want to see. After thinking long and hard *AND* reading many a fic….i felt I should touch upon this rich universe and put in the 2 cents I felt I should say. This is LARGLY AU, but it will follow the base 3 games. Enjoy allies.

In a joint effort between award*-winning** writer*** Lord Michael Blackburn, and not as many award winning editor, Lutaris, bring to you the greatest AU story on this week:

Mass Effect: Red Shift

_In 2154, the great commander shepard came to be; born an orphan on the street, he knew only his name and the need to survive. He was, however, not the only shepard that lived….there were 2 of them. One a boy, the other a girl..the only family they had, all they knew was day-to-day living, having been shown the world by a petty street gang…but would these 2 ever amount to anything?_

Prologue:

"_I just don't know, admiral..are they both fit for duty?"_

"_you know the files as well as I do, major. They both enlisted at 18, different reasons their files read, but they proved there worth in the blitz…taking out a whole battalions of batarian pirates, and saved a large amount of civilians ; what do you see wrong?"_

"_well sir, they just… we wonder how this new mission will prove to them; despite them being brother-sister, we wonder how well they will get along under these…newer regulations and there recent rank changes. Lt Jane Shepard was demoted from major just last month due to "going to a field hospital and slapping a PTSD trauma affected marine into getting back on his gear and being sent back out in the fight, versus john shepard who convinced a whole group of mercenaries to back down by bluffing them into thinking a M-35 mako company had them surrounded. Would you think they could resent each other?"_

"_major….if your doubts are this concerning to yourself and or the committee, let's go back in there files, to the days they ran with a gang down in earth…"_

March 8th, 2161 CE, slums of earth:

A rival gang member lie on the ground in pain as a fiery redhead covered in grime kicked him yet again in the shins and yelled "you will tell us where you took ferret, you bastard!"

The gang member coughed up some blood and said "go to hell, you goddamned whor-AGGH!" he yowled as her boot crashed into his now-bleeding jaw. The redhead grabbed him by his scalp and leaned him against a wall, then growled one last time "talk or ill have to get real…shall we say…ugly with you"

Just as she was about to slam his head into the cold brick wall, a male voice said "Jane, this isn't getting us anywhere…let me try." She looked back at him and said "fine johnny…take away all my fun for the day...but if he doesn't talk, I KNOW for certain I'll waste him."

John rolled his eyes and had jane loosen her grip on the thug's collar. He looked the next to dead gang member square in the eyes and said "you got a member of the tenth street reds in your…'custody' I kindly ask you to release him AND get your boss to leave us be. I promise you that I will let you go, and my colleague will not kill you" Jane smirked and glared at the thug.

The thug looked at him, and between gasps said "You mean it? Hell… What have I got to lose? Not like there's anything more the Widow can do to me…" He spat up a few drops of blood then sat down for a second and finished his sentence. "They are keeping him in an 'old spice' warehouse in the center of the industrial park… I'll have him freed, I SWEAR! Just don't let her get near me!" John dropped him to the ground and said "I'll hold your word to it…just don't cross us, or my sister here will make it your last." He scurried across the ground on his rear-end and hands as quick as he could from Jane, standing up when he deemed himself at a safe distance. The thug nodded once to seal the deal before limping away back down the alley.

The thug nodded, and then tried his best to limp back down the alley.

"John, you realize there were cameras watching us the whole time, right?" She gestured to the nearby security camera directed at them. "We could get into some serious trouble, all things considered." John looked at Jane, surprised at her concern of getting into some kind of trouble for once. "That's not like you Jane. Had a change of heart all of a sudden? Besides, the police and military have bigger things to deal with." John queried her swiftly, almost too quick for her to react. 'Hhh!' She gasped and tensed up, quickly relaxing and throwing back on her normal stature. "Na, fuck it! Let's get out of here…"

"_file says the next year, both Shepard's enlisted with the alliance and quickly won commendation, major. They worked together on the streets for who knows how long…I doubt rank bothers them in that respect, major."_

"_yes admiral, but it's not even that…lt Jane shepard is very…brutal and aggressive in combat, while john shepard is a strategist and borne leader…this ship they will be on has a turian spectre on its shake-down…do we really want to risk an incident due to Janes disposition?"_

"_..major, you overthink things like the spooks up at Intel; john will keep her in line, as will Anderson. He's a good man, and his mindset should keep both shepards in line. If anything, to jane's advantage she's a mentor in combat..despite not being biotic like john, she makes up for it by busting heads with her uncanny aim. Look at the records on Elysium alone…_

July 22nd, 2176 CE, Elysium

"GET DOWN!" Jane yelled as a rocket slammed into the superstructure above her squad; she had been cut off by a column of batarians who ambushed her EVAC transport, and split her company away from the fleeing colonists, who were now pinned in a gulley as the pirates attempted to mortar them.

A marine peaked over cover and begin to return fire when in a loud, liquidly _SMACK _his head was taken clean off. Jane closed her eyes for a second, zoning out the gunfire, screams of the dying, and explosions shaking the earth as she turned the safety off of her lancer and stood up from her cover, guns blazing. She stared with fury in her eyes and her finger gripping down on the trigger, just watching batarians fall in heaps as bullets hit her shields like raindrops.

As the heat indicator on her gun began to sky-rocket, she threw it to the ground and pulled out her Kessler, and started walking forward each shot taking a new victim. The marines watched this sight in awe, and earned a new wave of bravado returning fire and following Shepard's lead driving the batarians back down the valley they came from.

As she passed a destroyed M29 Grizzly, a batarian with a crude blade jumped out knocking the commander to the ground swinging his blade at her head. With quick reflexes she deflected it but she got slashed on the cheek and nose; she twisted his arm and jammed the crude weapon in-between the plates that covered his shoulder, then yanked down hard causing him to reel back far enough for her to stand up. the wounded pirate swung at her with his good arm, breaking her shields almost instantly.

She gave her thoughts on his attack in the form of a Kessler pistol grip to his crotch followed by 2 shots to his neck and chest; as he flopped to the ground choking on his own blood, he soon bleed out by the time the marines passed by. As Jane found an overlook surveying the sights beyond, she saw that other marine companies were forcing the batarians into full retreat as an alliance frigate flew over the horizon.

She lived for this kind of fight.

"_impressive sir…but what about john shepard? I heard he was on Torfan a few years later leading a small unit; Torfan didn't exactly produce shining angels from that fight. Lots went CAT6 or worse after that."_

"_yes major. I read the reports…it was a damn slaughter, for both sides. A lot of men went AWOL with that kind of trauma, but not john shepard..that man has great resolve and temperament, he's a very promising biotic; on and off the field he shows the best the alliance has to offer…read the report if you think it can clear things up."_

December 7th, 2178 CE, Torfan

John looked down at his boots, squinting to see them in the squalid bay of the mantis gunship; he looked up at his small strike team as they did the last minute checks of armor and weapons. He felt the ship rock side to side as anti-air bursts exploded all around them. He stood up and held a gear stowage shelf and reassured his men:

"comrades….friends….we are here today to stop the raids on alliance colonies out on the fringes of our space; we have lost life after life…but not ONE MORE! We will fight them, die if we have to, but justice we be served for those who have fallen! Do it for your loved ones in humanity and let their lost souls finally be at peace! Godspeed my brothers..."

As he finished his short speech, a voice on the mantis's COM crackled "30 seconds till groundfall boys get ready to rock and block, cause we are going in hot!"

Shepard closed his eyes as he turned around to face the door on the mantis, closing his eyes and focusing on channeling up his biotics. He pulled his shotgun out and made sure his pistol was primed while his team stacked up at the bay door while he began to slip into his zone, and when he felt the ship smack its hull on the ground and the door open. When he opened his eyes, biotic energy surged across his body in an aura of light as he ran out of the gunship, shots whizzing through the air….

"_I am impressed with john Shepard…none of his squad or company took fatal losses, and they captured several hundred batarians without firing a shot…it's no surprise he was promote to lt-commander shortly after."_

"_And just to save you more reading, major, within the next 6 months, both Shepards were comendated for the N7 program, which they both passed with flying colors. They are seasoned, cool under fire, and they carry a wave of awe with them…john shepard is a poster boy for the marines, while Jane shepard is in the textbooks on fighting and shock tactics. And on that note, Jane was awarded the Star of Terra for those actions of bravery on Elysium, major."_

"_yes, admiral…..I understand your point; ill complete the filing and both Shepards with be assigned to the Normandy, as XO and arms master, respectively"_

As the major left the room, admiral Hackett felt that this was a decision that would greatly benefit the Alliance's position to the galaxy; he didn't ponder on it too hard as there was a large amount of paperwork he had ahead anyway. He sipped his cup of coffee thoughtfully as he continued his work.

A/N: hey, at least you can READ what I write now…. R&R, like I always ask


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